Tales of the Linchpin

Flaws and sins

The sun rose with a strange blend of joy and calamity, spilling golden light over a world that felt both beautifully alive and precariously waiting. David stirred as the first pale rays touched his skin, their warmth heavily tinged by the biting chill of the morning wind. He forced himself up, each step heavy and deliberate, until his eyes found Lazarus in the distance.

Lazarus sat upon a freshly chopped tree trunk, his posture perfectly calm and steady against the backdrop of the breaking day.

"Good morning, David," he said, a soft smile cutting through the cold air. "Our training starts now."

"Already?" David’s voice betrayed a deep mix of fatigue and hard-learned caution.

"Yes," Lazarus replied simply. "Take a seat."

David settled onto an adjacent fallen trunk. Folding his legs tightly, he mirrored Lazarus’s cross-legged position, doing his best to match the older man's absolute stillness.

"Do you still remember what I told you about spiritual energy?" Lazarus asked, his sharp eyes locked onto him.

"Yes," David answered, his voice calm but edged with intense focus. "You said spiritual energy is the fundamental source of existence. Those who can manipulate it gain superhuman abilities."

"I'm glad you remembered. That is the core definition," Lazarus said, his voice dropping to a low, steady register that matched the ancient earth beneath them. "Now, I will teach you how to understand it, access it, and control it."

Lazarus raised a hand, gesturing between them.

"There are four states that make up who you are: **Mind, Spirit, Body, and Soul**. These are the pillars that allow a human to grasp and direct spiritual energy. The first step to actively assessing it is a process called **Batispim**."

"Batispim?" David repeated the unfamiliar word.

"It is the raw, uninhibited flow of spiritual energy into the user's soul," Lazarus explained. "Because you have already accidentally connected to it outward during your escape, drawing it inward will be easier for you. The soul stores and refines this influx. Then, the mind directs that refined energy back through your physical body, transforming it into “Presence”. Presence is raw, visible energy. It exponentially amplifies a person's strength, speed, and reaction times far beyond normal human capability."

Lazarus paused, letting the weight of the words sink in.

"Beyond that lies “Essence”. Essence is the unique signature of your specific soul. Refining Presence into Essence requires you to compress your raw energy into a tight, incredibly dense point inside your soul. When that compressed point is released, a user can manipulate powerful, specialized techniques and unique abilities."

A quiet chill crept down David’s spine. The wind stirred the dry leaves around them, as if the forest itself were eavesdropping on secrets it shouldn't know.

"So I don't connect outward..." David muttered, looking at his hands.

"No," Lazarus countered. "You connect inward. And that... is far more complicated. For this stage, you must completely clear your mind and tap into your soul. Your mind acts as the master controller to every energy path. To command it, you must silence it, focusing entirely on a single point. Lucky for you, we are completely isolated here. Close your eyes... and connect within."

Lazarus slowly lifted his right hand. "Watch and learn."

The veteran closed his eyes. For a moment, absolutely nothing happened. Then, the entire atmosphere shifted. The atmospheric pressure spiked violently, the air growing heavy and suffocating. A tangible, visible current of dark energy began to spiral around Lazarus’s right hand, humming with latent power.

David’s eyes widened, completely astonished by the casual display of mastery.

"Now, it’s your turn," Lazarus said, extinguishing the energy as quickly as it had appeared. "Clear your mind. Focus on your soul, and you will connect. To understand your power, you must first understand yourself—your identity, your nature, and what you stand for. That is the foundation."

David lowered his gaze, his voice trembling at the edges. "All those things you mentioned... they have no meaning to me. I barely understand myself. And the identity you speak of... let's just say it was never there in the first place."

"Then create one," Lazarus said firmly. "Decide right now what identity you want to stand for."

David’s fingers curled into tight fists. "Fine then."

He closed his eyes, aggressively forcing his thoughts inward, reaching blindly toward the void of his soul.

"Calm down. Focus. Take control of yourself," Lazarus’s voice echoed, low and commanding through the clearing.

Slowly, the chaotic noise in David’s mind began to settle. His ragged breathing evened out. His body became entirely still. Beside him, Lazarus’s eyes narrowed with quiet pride as he detected a faint, subtle ripple in the surrounding air.

*His growth... it’s faster than I imagined,* Lazarus thought. *At this rate, he will master the transition sooner than anyone expects.*

Hours bled away. David remained perfectly seated, trying desperately to forge a connection to his soul.

*Huh... this is harder than I thought,* David admitted to himself, frustration creeping in. *Hours have passed, and I haven't made a single inch of progress.*

Taking a deep breath, David briefly cracked his eyes open. Nearby, a flock of birds chirped as they flew between the branches. *The birds... they have purpose. They understand their nature perfectly.* He looked to the brush and spotted a wild rabbit staring back at him before darting away.

*To access it, I must understand my own nature, my identity, and what I stand for,* he repeated like a mantra.

Closing his eyes again, he pushed deeper. Suddenly, a sudden, ice-cold sensation flooded his mind.

"That's it. Let's go again," David whispered to himself.

He dove back within, grasping for that exact cold sensation. *Focus, focus... and control!* The feeling surged, violently overwhelming his mind. David pushed back with everything he had, trying to wrestle the current into submission, but it shattered his focus, snapping him back to reality.

For two agonizing hours, he repeated this vicious cycle. His muscles were slick with sweat, his body shook with exhaustion, and a splitting headache throbbed behind his eyes.

*I need to keep going,* he thought desperately. *I have to control it.*

A gentle, grounding hand slowly touched his left shoulder.

"That's enough for today," Lazarus said softly.

David turned his head slightly, his eyes bloodshot. "It’s harder than I thought. It’s been hours, and I can’t control the flow."

"Take it easy. You have done remarkably well for your first day," Lazarus said, turning back toward the cabin. "Come inside. I made something for us to eat."

"Wait... let me try one last time," David pleaded.

Lazarus tilted his head, studying the boy’s stubborn gaze. "Suit yourself."

David crossed his legs and re-anchored his posture. Closing his eyes, he dropped straight back into his soul. The cold sensation returned, far more violent and aggressive than before, threatening to completely tear his consciousness apart. This time, David remained entirely unyielding.

Biting down hard on his teeth, his face contorted as if he were lifting the crushing weight of the world. *Push hard, David. Come on,* he commanded himself. *Don't let it push you. Suppress it!*

His jaw clenched to the point of snapping, his eyes squinting tightly shut.

"Ahhhhh!"

A primal scream ripped from his throat. A sudden, violent burst of dark grey aura exploded from David's body, swirling around him like a localized storm.

"Hmph. He actually did it," Lazarus muttered, a genuine smile breaking across his face.

"I did... I..." David’s voice trailed off as the aura vanished, and he collapsed face-first into the dirt, completely unconscious.

---

When David finally woke up, he was laying on the cot inside the cabin. He tried to lift his head, but a brutal wave of dizziness and a throattering headache slammed him back into the pillow.

"Calm down. You've done more than enough for one day," Lazarus said, sitting quietly at the side of the bed.

"I did it... I connected with my soul," David croaked, a rare spark of excitement in his raspy voice.

"Yeah. You did pretty damn good," Lazarus said, standing up and casting a long look at the boy. "Eat and get some rest. We have a long, brutal way to go." With that, he walked out of the room.

Deep within the pitch-black thicket of the forest, miles away from the isolated cabin, a dark silhouette shifted within the shadows, completely hidden from view.

"Well, well... you are growing beautifully, aren't you?" a grating, unnatural voice whispered into the night.

A loud, twisted laugh echoed silently through the trees, unnoticed by the world. "Grow strong, boy. When the time comes... I will gladly consume your soul."